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Thera 2.37: Sona-Potiriyaputta
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(157):Sona-Potiriyaputta Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter II. Two Verses =157. Soṇa-Poṭiriyaputta= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Kapilavatthu, as the son of the zemindar(landlord)1 Poṭiriya, he was named Soṇa. Come of age, he became chief commander of the forces of Bhaddiya, a Sākiyan (king)rāja. Now Bhaddiya having left the world(for monkhood), as will be described below, Soṇa thought: 'If even the (king)rāja has left the world(for monkhood), what have I to do with domestic life?' 144 So be took monk’s orders, but remained sluggish, not given to meditative exercise. On him the Exalted One(Buddha), living in the Mango Grove at Anupiya, sent forth his glorious divine image, and arousing him to mindfulness uttered addressing verses: ---- 193 Na tāva supituɱ hoti ratti nakkhattamālinī,|| Paṭijaggitumevesā ratti hoti vijānatā.|| || ---- 193 no, not for this that you may slumber long, Comes the night in starry garlands wreathed. For vigil by the wise this night is here. ---- Hearing him, Soṇa was exceedingly agitated, and keeping his shortcomings before the mind, adopted the open-air practice, exercising himself for insight. And he uttered this verse: ---- 194 Hatthikkhandhāvapatitaɱ kuñjaro ce anukkame,|| Saŋgāme me mataɱ seyyo yaɱ ce jīve parājito' ti.|| || ---- 194 If in the fight my warrior-elephant Advanced, it was better, fallen from his back,2 Dead on the field trampled I should lie, Than beaten live a captive to the foe. ---- So saying, he stirred up insight and won arahantship(enlightenment), and upon that repeated the Lord(Buddha)'s words and his own as his declaration of aññā(supreme attainment). ---- 1 On the position of a bhojaka holding land in fief, see Dialogues, i. 108, n. 1; on Bhaddiya, see CCLIV. Anupiyiā, in the Mallas' territory, lay east of Kapilavatthu. On the vision, cf. several of the first Sisters' sayings(gatha). 2 The Commentary confirms the reading avapatitaɱ (vide Neumann). The figure is a very natural one for an Indian soldier, and its application is easy. Metaphors from warfare are less frequent in Buddhist than in Christian literature, and the few contained in this work almost exhaust them. 'Trampled' (by the elephant is a Commentarial gloss. ---- =2.4-7 157 Commentary on the stanza of Soṇapotiriyaputtatthera= The stanza starting with na tāva supituṃ hoti constitutes that of the venerable Thera Poṭiriyaputta of Soṇa. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, was leading his life as a forest wanderer, at the time of the Blessed One Sikhi, when, one day, he happened to have met the Master, became pious-minded, and offered Kurañjiya fruit to the Master. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and was reborn as the son of a village headman named Poṭiriya in Kapilavatthu, when this Buddha arose. His name was Soṇa. On having come of age he bacame the commander-in-chief of the army of Sākiyan Sovereign Bhaddiya. Then, when king Bhaddiya became a monk in the manner said before (heṭṭhā), the generalissimo became a monk (also) saying: “Even the king himself had become a monk; what is the use of household life to me.” Having, however, become a monk, he dwelt enjoying himself in sleep; he did not engage himself accordingly in the development of his mind (bhāvanā). The Glorius One, dwelling in the mango grove at Anupiya, had His own light pervaded (pharāpetvā) over him, had his mindfulness aroused by that light and spoke two stanzas in order to advise him by means of this verse. 193. Now is not to sleep; the night is garlanded with lunar mansions (nakkhattamālinī); that night is but to be nursed (paṭijaggituṃ) for the wise people. 194. If the elephant were to follow (anukkame) me who had fallen down from the body of the elephant, my death in the battle field is better than living after being defeated. There, na tāva supitaṃ hoti, ratti nakkhattamālinī means: having gained the ninth moment, which had been avoided (vajjita) by eight inopportune moments (akkhaṇa), a congenital by wise man does abide by it; to that wiseman, as long as arahtship has not come into his hands, so long, this night, garlanded with lunar mansions, is not to lie down and sleep; there is no time for sleeping. Indeed, on the other hand, however, paṭijaggituṃ av’essa, retti hoti vijānatā; this night, namely, has become a sound free occasiion (nissaddavelā) distinctively (visesato), with the going off to sleep (niddupagamana) of human beings, beasts and birds, and is wanted by a clearly knowing wise man but to nourish his proper practice (paṭipatti) in himself and to engage himself in his devotion to wakefulness. On having heard that stanza, Soṇa became all the more remorse-minded, his sense of shame (hirī) and fear (ottappaṃ) became imminent (paccupaṭṭhapetvā), made his resolution (adhiṭṭhāya) over the austere practice of living in open air (abbhokāsikaṅgaṃ) and doing the deed of developing spiritual insight (vipassanā), spoke the second stanza starting with “Hatthikkhandhāvapatitaṃ.” There, avapatitaṃ means: fallen with face downwards, fallen with feet up and face down. Kuñjaro ce anukkame means: if the elephant were to go after (anukkameyya). This is what has been said:– When I had entered (paviṭṭho) the fighting field after having mounted (āruhitvā) my elephant, and had fallen from the back of the elephant (hatthikkhandhato patito), then if I became dead, having been trodden upon (maddito) by that elephant, saṅgāme: (in the fighting field of battle), that death me (of mine) seyyo (is better); yañ ce jive parājito: (now I were to live having been defeated by all forms of depravity; that is not better. As and when he was reciting this stanza, the Thera had himself indulged in developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantship. Hence has it been said in the Apadāna. “A deer hunter, formerly, I was; I roamed about in the forest. I saw the stainless Buddha, proficient in all dhamma. Having collected Kurañjiya fruit, I offered it to Buddha, the best, who was such a sage as was the field for making merit; piously did I offer with my own hands (pñṇibhi). It was thirtyone aeons (kappa) ago that I then offered the fruit. I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of fruit offering. My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Having, however, attained Arahantship, the Thera reiterated (paccudāhāsi) both the stanzas as spoken by the Master nad himself, which was the stanza starting with “Hatthikkhandhā’vapatitaṃ.” By means of that verse, this, even, became the revealation of his Arahantship (aññā). The Commentary on the stanza of the thera Soṇapoṭiriyaputta is complete. ----